Clothesline tightener



April 16, 1963 H. M. LOWE CLOTHESLINE TIGHTENER Filed March 14, 1961 5 WH W7 M m7 0 5 4 n% United States Patent 3,085,692 CLOTHESLINE TIGHTENERHarold M. Lowe, 145 Beelunan Road, Summit, NJ. Filed Mar. 14, 1961, Ser.No. 95,534 10 Claims. (Cl. 211119.15)

This invention relates generally to clothesline racks and moreparticularly to the manner of constructing and expanding the racks totighten the clothesline.

The principal object of this invention is the provision of a clotheslinerack supported from vertical posts where in at least one of the posts isprovided with a threaded opening to receive a threaded member on the endof an expander which when rotated unscrews the threaded member from thepost to expand and tighten the clotheslines therebetween.

Another object is the provision of a clothesline rack supported from avertical post having a saddle to straddle the post and receive a rackcarrying the clothesline and which are maintained on the post by thethreaded member.

Another object is the provision of a clothesline rack having verticaltubular posts with aligned openings having nut members in the tubularposts aligned with the openings to receive threaded members on theopposite ends of an expansion member, the threaded members being ofopposite hand so that the rotation of the expansion member tightens theclothesline.

Another object is the provision of an expansion mem her having a socketat each end for receiving a headed member. These headed members passingthrough aligned openings in vertical posts and at least one of thembeing threaded to mate with the threaded opening in the post. Thesockets on the expansion member removable from the headed members whenclosely adjacent the post. Both of the headed members may have threadedstems one being right hand and the other being left hand thread forsimultaneously expanding the posts relative to each other. When thespreader is rotated to unscrew the right hand thread member from thepost, said expansion member spreads the posts to tighten theclothesline.

Other objects and advantages of this invention appear hereinafter in thefollowing description and claims.

The accompanying drawings show for the purpose of exemplificationwithout limiting this invention or the claims thereto, certain practicalembodiments illustrating the principles of this invention, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a view in vertical elevation with parts in section showingthis invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of two posts of the structure shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a view in vertical elevation employing right and left handthreaded members.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a modified form of headed member.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings the post members 1 and 2 maybe set permanently in the ground or inserted in tubular sockets in theground or they may be depending from the ceiling. However, these postsare preferably supported substantially vertically with their ends 3 atabout the same elevation. Each of the posts 1 and 2 is provided with anopening 4 and 5 for the purpose of receiving the headed member 6 and 7.The headed member 6 is provided with a stem 8 having a right hand threadindicated at 9. This stem passes through the opening 4 of the post 1 andprojects materially therebeyond. The threaded stem 9 is received in thesquare nut 10 which is sufficiently large to be inserted into the end ofthe tube but cannot rotate within the tube. Thus by rotating the headedmember 6 the stem will be moved inwardly or outwardly relative to thepost depending upon the direction of rotation. The thread 9 is shown asa right hand thread.

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The head 11 of the headed member 6 is preferably tapered and knurled soas to snugly fit the socket 12 in the end of the expansion member 13. Toinsure that the head will not allow the socket member to extendthereover a shoulder in the form of the annular flange 14 is formed atthe bottom of the head 11 and between this head and the stem 8. Thus byjamming the tubular expansion member 13 onto the head 11 the latter fitssnugly into the socket 12 and by rotating the tubular expansion member13 one may turn the threaded stem 9 in the nut 10 in a clockwisedirection to unthread or withdraw the threaded stem 9 from the opening4. As the threaded stem 9 increases the effective length of theexpansion member 13 the posts 1 and 2 are forced apart and thus spreadthe same to tighten the clothesline.

The opposite headed member 7 is also provided for the head member 15which is received in the socket 16 at the opposite end of the expansionmember 13. This headed member is also provided with an annular flange 17and a stem member 18 which is unthreaded and since it is unthreaded thepost 2 is not required to have a nut.

Both the stem 8 and 18 are passed through openings 20 through thecrosspiece of the saddle members 21 which have an H-cross section. Theflanges forming the slot 22 on one side supports the clothesline rack'23, whereas the flanges forming the slot 24 on the opposite side of thecrossbar have an arcuate indentation 25 therein as shown in FIG. 2 thatfits the surface of the posts 1 and 2. Each of the racks 23 carry aslotted member 26 the slots 29 of which carry the clothesline 27 asillustrated in FIG. 2. Since the clothesline is constructed on one ormore sections woven back and forth between the racks 26 they provide apredetermined length that can be made adjustable by shortening orlengthening the clothesline but limit the spacing between the racks 23and thus the threaded stem 9 need be only sufliciently long to permitthe expansion member to move the posts 1 and 2 far enough apart to takeup the slack in the clothesline 27. Ordinarily the posts 1 and 2 aresufficiently long that they will readily flex when the expansion memberis turned to tighten the clothesline.

Referring to FIG. 3 wherein each of the elements are similar and areprovided with the same reference numerals as provided in FIGS. 1 and 2.The essential diflerence between the structure of FIG. 3 over thepreviously described structure is the fact that the headed member 7' isprovided with a threaded stem 30 the thread 31 thereon being a left handthread. This threaded stem takes the place of the smooth stem member 18.Likewise the post 2 is provided with a nut 32 which has a mating lefthand thread for receiving the stem 30. This device is quite similar tothat disclosed in FIG. 1 but by turning the tube 13 to unscrew the stem8 will also unscrew the threaded stem 30 and thus rapidly spread thetubes 1 and 2. In all other respects, the structure is the same. Whenthe tube 13 is turned to screw the threaded stem 8 into the nut 10 thethreaded stem 30 is likewise screwed into the nut 32 and the posts 1 and2 come together and the heads 11 and 15 are withdrawn from their sockets12 and 16 respectively since the tube 13 is shorter than the distancebetween the two heads 6 and 7.

As shown in FIG. 4 the threaded member 33- has a threaded stem 34 andflange 35 on which is seated the end of the square tubing 36 shown insection. The head 37 is square and fits within the bore of the squaretube 36 so that the threaded stem may be rotated by rotating the squaretube 36. Thus the tube expansion member 13 may be round and the headedmember 6 has a round head 11 to fit the socket 12 of the tube 13.

If the clothesline is loosened and the expansion member or tube isremoved the saddle may be turned so that the flanges in which thearcuate indentation or cutout is made, may straddle the post members 1and 2 and the lines crisscross in an X fashion. The posts 1 and 2 may belifted from their sockets in the ground and stored with the expansionmember as a compact group of longitudinally disposed members in a box.If the posts 1 and 2 are of the telescoping type and contract to sixfeet and the expansion member is six feet long then the box need beapproximately that size. A cellar application where the posts 1 and 2are hung from the rafters thus may only be two feet long. When the sternof the headed member 6 is unthreaded a cotter key 39 and washer 19 areadded as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

I claim:

1. A clothesline rack comprising a pair of spaced vertical flexible postmembers supporting opposed racks with clotheslines extendingtherebetween, aligned openings in said posts, a headed member for eachof said openings and having a stem rotatable therein, a threaded meansin one of said openings, a mating thread on the stem in said oneopening, an expansion member extending between said posts and having asocket in each end receiving the heads of said headed members to rotatethe same and screw said threaded member in said threaded means to spreadsaid posts to tighten said clothesline.

2. The clothesline rack of claim 1 characterized by a saddle membersupporting each rack on said posts, said saddle and said racks havingopenings aligned with said openings in said posts permitting the stemsof said headed members to pass therethrough.

3. The clothesline rack of claim 1 characterized in that said threadedmeans is a nut held by said post.

4. The clothesline rack of claim 1 characterized in that said postmembers are tubes and said threaded means is a nut in said tube and heldfrom rotation thereby.

5. The clothesline rack of claim 1 characterized in that said headedmember has a head to fit in the socket of said expansion member and ashoulder to stop further movement of said socket over said head.

6. The clothesline rack of claim 1 characterized in that both of saidstems and openings are provided with mating threaded means, one of saidthreaded means being right hand and the other being left hand.

7. The clothesline rack of claim 1 characterized by a saddle having anH-cross section parallel flanges projecting in opposite directions tosupport said racks on said posts, the flanges on one side holding therack and an arouate indentation in the flanges on the opposite side toreceive said post, and transverse openings through said racks and thecrosspiece of said saddle to receive the stems of said headed means tohold said racks on the posts.

8. The clothesline rack of claim 1 characterized in that said expansionmember is a tube, and is shorter than the distance between said headedmembers at the unflexed position of said posts and when said threadedstem is screwed into the post.

9. The clothesline rack of claim 5 characterized in that said head andsocket are square.

10. The clothesline rack of claim 5 characterized in that said head andsocket are round.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,056,576 Olson Mar. 18, 1913 1,762,740 Rains June 10, 1930 2,559,130Miller July 3, 1951 2,769,554 Bodine Nov. 6, 1956 2.780.365 Trainor Feb.5 1957

1. A CLOTHESLINE RACK COMPRISING A PAIR OF SPACED VERTICAL FLEXIBLE POSTMEMBERS SUPPORTING OPPOSED RACKS WITH CLOTHESLINES EXTENDINGTHEREBETWEEN, ALIGNED OPENINGS IN SAID POSTS, A HEADED MEMBER FOR EACHOF SAID OPENINGS AND HAVING A STEM ROTATABLE THEREIN, A THREADED MEANSIN ONE OF SAID OPENINGS, A MATING THREAD ON THE STEM IN SAID ONEOPENING, AN EXPANSION MEMBER EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID POSTS AND HAVING ASOCKET IN EACH END RECEIVING THE HEADS OF SAID HEADED MEMBERS TO ROTATETHE SAME AND SCREW SAID THREADED MEMBER IN SAID THREADED MEANS TO SPREADSAID POSTS TO TIGHTEN SAID CLOTHESLINE.